Duncan (DDR 874) - Naval Cruise Book

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-1-1--11 COLLISION

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IVIEDEVAC: IN THE SPIRIT AND IN THE TRADITION The Navy is not merely uniforms, watches, liberties and long hours of hard work. It is the sea. It is the sea with a tradition molded through history. It is the sea with the spirit of fraternity that is rarely talked about but internally experienced and forever remembered. It is the spirit of men in a common plight whose defense against the impersonal violence of the ocean is a bond only a sailor can know and understand. The night: November 18, 1968. The men of the whaleboat crew were: ENS GIBSON, BM3 HUNTER, SN HINKLE, DR. WEIKEL, HMC BROOKS, EN2 FEATHERSTONE, SM3 DECLESIS, and RM2 KILGORE. A They were answering a call for emergency from the Panamanian Motor Vessel ORIENTAL STAR. Second Engineer CHINGPING, a crewman, was dying. He needed help and expert medical care to survive. The night was dark and the waves ten feet high. It was too dangerous for normal small boat operation but this was an emergency. Exercising superb seamanship, the boat crew reached the other vessel, evacuated the infirm man and lifted him aboard DUNCAN. For 54 hours the engineers performed flawlessly, delivering power for 25 knots to the screws. During the same time, DR. WEIKEL, 'DOC' BROOKS and HAZELTON stood a continuous vigil until the stranger was delivered - safe in Pearl Harbor. r The following message was received from the ORIENTAL STAR: 'cOn behalf of all the crewmembers on board MIV ORIENTAL STAR, allow me to pay my respect to the grand tradition of the United States Navy which not only is a guarantee to the safety of the men on the high seas, but also to all the peace loving people of the world, thank you. Very truly yours, SZE Sheng-da, Master.

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AT SEA: 0426, 20 MARCH When the KOYO MARU No. 17, a Japanese fishing trawler crashed against DUNCAN, and the sound of Wrinkling, buckling metal subsided, DUNCAN sailors tumbled to collision stations on the double. Later, they observed the battered bow of the KOYO MARU and the sheared port side of DD-874. Skilled repair party action met the emergency, patched up a gaping hole in the Japanese ship, and towed her to safe Waters. DUNCAN then proceeded to the drydock in Sasebo. Still, DUNCAN was significant with Task Force 71 and earned the AFE Medal.